Moreno Valley man reconnects with the Red Cross

This post is from Georgia Duncan, Communications Volunteer, San Bernardino Chapter

It is early Wednesday morning and a relatively cool breeze is blowing through the patio at Sultana High School. Sultana is the sight of the American Red Cross shelter established to assist residents and motorists affected by the Blue Cut fire burning out of control in San Bernardino County California.

Moreno Valley resident Alex Gamo

Sitting with a cup of coffee, I was watching the smoke slowly engulf the area. A gentleman sat down across from me and we began talking.

He introduced himself as Alex Gamo from Moreno Valley. He volunteered that he was at the shelter because the fire had closed the freeway going south and he was unable to return to his home. We talked about the Red Cross and Alex said “I never thought I would be receiving help from the Red Cross.” He donated blood with the Red Cross for years until his health prevented him from doing so. He also told me he made financial donations to different disasters including one in his home country of Thailand.

Alex said he continued to carry the card he was given when he first began donating blood and offered to show it to me. He pulled from his wallet a tattered but very legible American Red Cross Donor card from 1987showing three donations.

He looked around the shelter and said, “Maybe because I did a good thing I am receiving good things”. He expressed is gratitude for a safe place to be and for the conversation we had shared.

He said he always thought the Red Cross did good things, but now he knew for certain that the Red Cross was a great organization.

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The American Red Cross Desert to the Sea Region serves Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. As one of Southern California’s leading non-profit agencies, the Desert to the Sea Region serves a total of 128 cities and unincorporated areas and over 7,900,000 people.
The American Red Cross exists to provide compassionate care to those in need. Our generous donors, volunteers and employees are part of a nationwide network committed to preventing and relieving suffering here at home, across the country, and around the world.
The Red Cross empowers ordinary people to perform extraordinary acts in emergency situations. We train. We mobilize. We connect donors and volunteers to those in urgent need of a helping hand. Whether it is a wildfire or a heart attack, a call for blood, a call for help after a devastating home fire, or a call from a service member or military family in need, the Red Cross is there.
All Red Cross assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people.
We are dedicated to providing help and hope to those in need. We provide food and shelter in emergencies, assist members of our armed forces, veterans and their families, teach lifesaving skills to ensure our communities are prepared to respond to emergencies, and so much more.
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